Relatives of those killed in protests in the south of the country ask for justice: “We want the perpetrators to pay for all these events”

Relatives of those killed in anti-government protests in the south of the country called for “justice” and “guarantees of non-repetition” this Thursday in Lima in the light of the events that took place on January 9 in the city of Juliaca, where 18 protesters with the Police were killed in one day of clashes.

“We want justice, that the perpetrators pay for all these events, and we ask that they never happen again, that they never again mourn the entire population,” said Raul Samilian, whose brother Marco was a therapist and was “out of court executed.” , according to him, while trying to save the wounded from mobilization.

Regarding the government’s announcement of a $13,000 donation to the victims’ relatives, Samillan said “no amount of money will make up for” the losses on January 9, when Juliaca (who is in the department Fistbordering Bolivia) became the scene of the bloodiest day of protests in the country, which claimed the lives of 70 people in two months, according to various sources.

“I ask for justice,” said Demetrio Aroquipa, the father of a minor under the age of 17 who died in Juliaca, at the headquarters of the National Coordinator for Human Rights (Cnddhh).

Fistthe Andes region, about 1,400 kilometers south of Lima, has been the epicenter of anti-government protests since they resumed in January after the Christmas truce, and is currently the only region where protests continue.

“IN Fist there was a massacre, civilians were killed from firearms. The state (…) has no right to kill,” said Wilmer Quiros, a lawyer for the victims.

They condemn the criminalization of protest

Relatives of those who died in Juliaca came to Lima to “learn the truth” and “demand justice,” insisted Armando Halire Mamani, a lawyer for the January 9 Martyrs and Victims Association.

The lawyer condemned the criminalization of the demonstrators, who were accused by some authorities and segments of Peruvian society of being “terrorists and communists” and having links with alleged criminal groups.

“This will not end,” Mamani warned, recalling that protests in the south erupted with a “demand for justice” due to the lack of “basic services” and the poor living conditions of the population.

“Puno is not new to Peru”

Relatives of the victims also criticized the statements of President Dina Boluarte, who last January said that “Puno is not Peru”, trying to explain that the Andean country extends beyond the region.

“We are part of this country (…) we are from Puno, and Puno is not something foreign to Peru,” said Samilian, chairman of the Association of Martyrs and Victims of January 9 – Juliaca.

On another occasion, Quiroz’s lawyer expressed regret that, to date, the prosecutor’s office had not called “any of the victims” and the lack of “important expertise”, as well as statements by members of the Peruvian National Police (PNP) and the Armed Forces.

In this regard, he called on the prosecutor’s office to create a specialized human rights prosecutor’s office in his region in order to be able to “punish those responsible and ensure that these events do not happen again.”

“This massacre cannot go unpunished. We must be a civilized country,” echoed another lawyer, Cesar Quispe.

(As reported by EFE)